The Cure
by Tina101
Summary: Challenge 28. Finally, after so long, a cure for AIDS. The one thing that can keep what's left of the family together, and guarantee a future for them all. Pretty AU.
1. Chapter 1

_The Cure_

**Chapter 1:**

The sound of the phone ringing woke Mark up. He grabbed his glasses, and picked up the phone next to his bed.

"Hello?" he mumbled.

"Marky? It's Maureen. Get everyone up, Joanne and I are coming over; it's important," Maureen said quickly on the other end.

"Mo, what time is it?"  
"9:30-"

"Why the hell are you up this early?"

"I told you, it's _important_. Now get everyone up, we'll be at your place in like twenty minutes or so. Bye." Before Mark could protest, Maureen hung up. The filmmaker groaned, and got up to get dressed.

When Mark finally trudged out to the front room, Collins was sitting on the duct tape covered couch grading papers.

"Who called?" he asked.

"Maureen. She and Joanne are on their way here; it's supposedly important."

"It must be if Maureen's up before noon." Mark nodded in agreement. Maureen _didn't_ do mornings. "You better get Roger and Mimi up now so Roger's in a somewhat good mood when the girls get here." Mark went over, and began to bang on the door to Roger and Mimi's room.

"Guys, time to get up!"

"What the hell do you want Cohen?" Roger snapped from the other side of the door. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Don't blame me; Joanne and Maureen are on their way here to tell us something important. So, you either get up now, or face Maureen's wrath when she gets here."

"We're up, don't worry," Mimi said. Satisfied, Mark left the couple to get up on their own.

Fifteen minutes later, Mimi and Roger emerged from their room. Mimi trudge over to the couch, and curled up on the part of it that wasn't occupied by Collins and his work. Several minutes later, Maureen came bursting into the loft.

"Guess what!" she announced as she waved a copy of the newspaper in the air. "Guess what, guess what, GUESS WHAT!"

"Maureen shut the hell up and tell us!" Roger snapped. Joanne pried the newspaper out of Maureen's hand, and handed it to Collins.

"_Cure for AIDS Found_," he read. Roger nearly dropped his coffee. Collins quickly scanned over the article. "Starting next week the cure will be available to the public. A person needs five treatments, at three thousand dollars a treatment," he explained. Mimi whistled.

"That's a lot of money," she pointed out form her catlike position on the couch. Collins handed Joanne her paper.

"That's great and all Jo, but there's no way that we'll be able to afford that for any of us," he said with the slightest hint of disappointment in his voice. Maureen flopped down on one of the chairs.

"That's so not fair that you all can't get this treatment, because you can't afford it," she pouted as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"No, you three _will_ get that new treatment," Mark said firmly from the kitchen. Everyone looked at him.

"Mark…" Joanne calmly said.

"I'm getting you guys that new treatment!" the filmmaker announced before storming out of the loft and onto the fire escape.

**A/N:** There you go, chapter one. What do you all think? Trust me, this will be an interesting story to read, it's all planned out. Please review!

Tina101


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Joanne followed Mark outside as Roger took the newspaper and read over the article. Mark was leaning against the railing staring out into space.

"Some view huh?" Joanne asked, causing Mark to spin around. "I know how much extra you pay for the view of the abandoned building across the street." Mark smiled weakly. "Can I join you?"

"Sure." Joanne stood next to Mark who had turned back around.

After a minute or so she said, "What was with that little episode in there? That's not like you, Mark."

"I'm getting that treatment for them."

"I figure that, but why did you blow up like that? You've always been the calm rational one."

"I know, but they deserve that treatment, and should get it despite the face that we're flat broke." Joanne turned and faced Mark.

"Tell you what, Mark. It's going to cost forty-five thousand dollars to get Roger, Mimi, _and_ Collins this treatment. I'm afraid, that, if it's even possible, you'll spend even less money on food when you try to save up for this treatment, so if you get together fifteen thousand dollars, I'll pay another fifteen thousand."

"We're still fifteen thousand short though. What about that money?"

"I guess you could talk to Benny." Mark scoffed.

"Benny? Why the hell would Benny want to help?"  
"Because he's friends with Mimi, and he'll want to help her. you don't have to be Superman Mark, so don't even try." Mark sighed. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Joanne was right. "Why don't you come back inside?" Mark shrugged, and followed Joanne inside.

The second Mark got inside, Collins said, "You don't have to get us that treatment, boy; we need to money for other things."

"Like your AZT?" Mark shot back. Collins sighed, Mark had a point there.

"We just don't want you to feel like you _have_ to get this for us," Mimi explained. She was still curled up on the couch.

"You're my friends, and I want to get this for you." Mimi rested her head back on the arm of the couch. Sometimes Mark could be more stubborn than Roger and Maureen.

The following day, Mark left for work earlier than usual, and stopped by Benny's office. Rather surprise, Benny met with his friend.

"What can I do for you, Mark?" he asked. Mark took a seat across from Benny.

"I'm here because I need money."

"May I ask what for?"

"There's this cure for AIDS that just came out, and there's now ay that I'll be able to afford to get it for Collins, Roger, and Mimi." Benny leaned back in his seat.

"I heard about that last night, and I want to help. How much money do you need?"  
"Fifteen thousand dollars." Benny surprised Mark by pulling his checkbook out of his desk drawer.

"I take it Roger doesn't know you're here," he said as he began to write the check.

"No, he's with Mimi back at the loft. I'll tell him where the money came from though." Benny handed Mark the check. "Thanks man."

"Glad to help. Please tell everyone that I really hope that this works out." Mark nodded, and got up from his seat.

"I will. Bye." Benny waved, and Mark left.

The next day, Mark applied for another job as a waiter. Now, he would be making three thousand dollars a segment with _Buzzline_, and two hundred dollars a week as a waiter. _Nothing_ was going to stop him from getting that treatment for his friends. Slowly, the Bohemians saw less and less of Mark. They all knew that he was working most of his waking hours. One day, Roger, Mimi, and Collins were talking about Mark.

"I feel kinda guilty about Mark working his ass off for us," Mimi told the guys.

"Mark's a determined boy. I've told him that we don't need this treatment, but he won't listen to me," Collins said.

Roger added, "I feel horrible about him working so hard because of us, and yet, at the same time…" the rocker trailed off for a second. "AIDS has run my life for the past few years. Whenever I feel even a _little_ sick, I get worried." Mimi rubbed Roger's leg, and tried to figure out where the heartfelt confession had come from. One thing she had learned about her boyfriend was that he's a tin man with a heart.

"I tried to give Mark some of my tip money the other day, but he wouldn't take it."

"Keep trying Meems," Collins said. "He'll eventually take it." Mimi nodded. She hoped that Collins was right.

It was close to three AM. Mark silently slipped into the loft. He had worked an extra shift to bring in some more money.

"Where were you?" Collins asked from the doorway to his bedroom. Mark jumped.

"I worked an extra shift," he replied simply. Collins raised his eyebrows.

"An extra shift?"

"Yeah, now I'm going to go to bed, I'm really tired." Collins watched as Mark retreated to his room for the night. He was working _way_ too hard, and the filmmaker knew it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Mark sat across from Joanne. It was the moment of truth, how much money did the filmmaker have saved up? Joanne helped Mark finish balancing the checkbook, and quickly calculated the total.

"Well Mark, it looks like you have $15,522 left. You did it!" Mark smiled. He pulled Benny's check out of his pocket.

"Here's $15,000 from Benny," he told Joanne. The lawyer dug her own checkbook out of her purse. She quickly wrote out a check, and handed it and Benny's check to Mark.

"And here's $15,000 from me and Maureen. You have to have the three of them register for the treatment down at the hospital."

"You've done your research." Joanne shrugged

"I wanted to know what you guys were getting into. Mercy Hospital would be the best bet for the treatment." Mark pocketed the checks.

"I'll tell them." The filmmaker got up. "Well, I have to stop at the bank on my way home. Thanks Jo." Joanne got up, and gave Mark a warm hug.

"Anything to help out." Mark grabbed his camera bag, and left for the bank.

At the bank, Mark deposited the two checks into his bank account, and made his way back to the loft. When he got back to the loft, Roger and Mimi were completely wrapped up in making out on the couch. Mark slammed the door closed, causing the couple to jump apart.

"How did it go?" Mimi asked as she began to fix her hair. Mark put his camera bag on the kitchen table.

"Jo said that your best bet would be to go down to Mercy Hospital," he replied.

"You got enough money?" Roger asked as he got up off the couch. Mark nodded.

"Yeah, I got enough money." Mimi smiled. Not only was she happy that she could get better, but now Mark wouldn't be working like a dog everyday. Mimi got up, and gave the filmmaker a huge hug.

"Thank you _so much_," she said struggling to hold back her tears. Mark returned the hug. Mimi pulled away and asked, "When do we go down to the hospital?"  
"As soon as possible I guess. It's completely up to you guys." Roger nodded.

"We'll go tomorrow," he said. "Collins has the day off."

The following day, Collins, Roger, and Mimi were gone before Mark was even up. Collins called the loft around noon, finally waking up the poor filmmaker.

"We're going to get our first treatment today. Apparently we're some of the few people who can afford the whole bill. We'll be home around four or so," Collins explained.

"Do you guys need me to come down there?" asked Mark.

"No, we're fine. You deserve a break. Work on a film or something."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. We'll see you in a few hours." Mark said goodbye, and hung up the phone.

After lying in bed for another fifteen minutes or so, Mark got up. He got himself a bowl of cereal, and began to sort through his various reels of film. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He would make another film about his friends…post AIDS. Ideas began to swarm Mark's mind. He pulled out his tattered notebook, and began to scribble away mindlessly. After Mark got all his ideas down on paper, he began to view various films. Mark was so wrapped up in his work that before he knew it, Collins, Roger, and Mimi were back.

"Hey, how'd it go?" the filmmaker asked. Roger flopped down on the couch, and pulled Mimi onto his lap.

"Pretty good," replied Collins. "It's almost like chemo. It really makes you tired though." Collins looked at the film canisters scattered all over the place. Roger was currently moving them off the couch so he and Mimi could lie down together. "Looks like you were busy." Mark shrugged.

"I got an idea," he explained modestly.

"Good, you deserved a break. I'm going to go lie down for a little while." Mark nodded as Collins retreated to his room. The filmmaker looked at Mimi and Roger. Roger was lying flat on his back on the verge of falling asleep. He was stroking Mimi's hair. Mimi was lying on top of Roger, fast asleep. Mark sighed as he picked up his camera and filmed them for several minutes. He hoped that this treatment wouldn't always have this affect on his friends.

Two hours later, Mimi's eyes fluttered open. She carefully sat up; bringing the blanket Mark had covered her with along with her. Mark looked up from his editing and smiled.

"Morning," he said. Mimi covered her mouth and yawned before stretching and wrapping the blanket around her thin shoulders.

"What time is it?" she asked still half asleep. Mark looked at his cheap discount watch.

"A little after six."

"How long have you been working?"

"On and off since like one." Mimi tucked her legs under her.

"What's this new Mark Cohen production about?"

"It's a secret." Mark jotted something down in his notebook.

"Is it written in that beat up old notebook of yours?" Mark moved his notebook out of Mimi's reach. The dancer laughed. "Come on Mark…please?" Mimi pouted.

"It's going to be a surprise." Mimi crossed her arms and continued to pout. Mark picked up his camera and began to film. "Zoom in on Mimi, who is currently trying to figure out what my next documentary is about." Mimi flipped the camera off. "Zoom in on Roger, who is currently fast asleep, and lucky that Maureen isn't here or else he'd fall victim to one of her pranks." Mimi giggled. "Roger, Mimi, and Collins all had this new treatment to get rid of their AIDS virus. Hopefully this'll change things around the loft some." Mark turned his focus back to Mimi. The dancer waved, and flashed Mark an innocent smile.

"Come on Marky, can I _please_ see what's in that notebook of yours?" Mark put his camera down.

"I _was_ going to let you, but then you called me 'Marky'."

"Men," Mimi muttered. "You're just as bad as Roger and that damn notebook of his. It's pathetic!" Mark shrugged.

"What can I say; we artists have a secretive side. It sort of adds anticipation for the people waiting for you to get done." Mimi rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to get _anything_ out of Mark right now.

Once a week, Collins, Roger, and Mimi would go down to the hospital for their treatment. Each time, they'd come home completely wiped, but be perfectly fine within twenty-four hours. One day, about a week and a half after the final treatment, Mimi came rushing upstairs with the mail.

"It's here, it's here!" she announced. The Boho boys all looked up from what they were doing.

"What's here Meems?" Roger asked. Mimi held up three plain white business size envelopes.

"Our HIV tests." The dancer handed Collins and Roger their respective envelopes.  
Well, here we go, the moment of truth." The trio each opened their own envelope, and pulled out the sheet of paper that held their fate.

**A/N:** Ha! Mini-cliffie! I'm going to Niagra Falls this weekend (fun!...yeah, right!) And will be back on Monday. I'll update then! Much love, and until then!

Tina101


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Mimi, Roger, and Collins each read over their test results while Mark filmed the whole thing. Not a sound was heard while the trio read over their results. The filmmaker looked from person to person reading their faces for the slightest hint of what the results said. Mimi was the first to say anything.

"Negative," she breathed. "My test came back negative." Roger swept Mimi up in his arms, and kissed her passionately.

"Thanks Mark. Thank you _so much_," Collins said as he gave Mark a huge hug. Mark returned the hug with one arm, and held on to his camera with the other. Collins looked over at Mimi and Roger who were currently making out. "Hey, _hey_! Save you little victory celebration for later!" Mimi and Roger broke apart. The rocker gently stroked his girlfriend's cheek, and ran his fingers through her hair. Mimi wrapped her arms around Roger's neck, and rested her head on his shoulder. It was clear that she was crying.

"Thanks man," Roger told his best friend. Collins picked up his envelope, and pulled out a letter and medical alert bracelet. He quickly read over the letter.

"We should continue taking our AZT until we're out, and always wear these medical alert bracelets," he explained. "Other than that, we only need to go for a regular doctor's visit every two months."

"Well, we only have one AZT left each, so that defeats the purpose," Roger said. He gently kissed the top of Mimi's head.

"Let's go down toe the Life to celebrate!" she exclaimed suddenly as she pulled away form Roger. In a flash, all three Boho boys had their coats on. "Lemme call the girls first, God, or else you'll have to face Maureen." The guys agreed to wait; they didn't want to face an angry Maureen.

Twenty minutes later, the Bohemians were sitting in the Life celebrating. The drinks kept coming, much to the manager's dismay. Beepers going off cut through all the noise. Maureen got up on the table, and managed to get everyone's attention.

"Hey, hey! Today is a historic day. This is the last AZT break _ever_! So, here's to Collins, Mimi, and Roger for getting their lives back, and to Mark for working his ass off the past few months." Everyone raised their glasses to a _real _toast. Maureen sat down as Collins, Roger, and Mimi took their final AZT.

"Wow Mo, that was somewhat sincere," Collins said. Maureen stuck out her tongue.

"I can be a sincere person," she shot back. Roger snorted, and took a long drink of his beer. "You know what Davis, shut the hell up." Roger flicked Maureen off, and began to kiss Mimi. The drunken celebration continued until the Life closed at 2:30 AM, and the manager finally got tired and kicked them out…again.

Back at the loft, Mimi and Roger retreated to their room almost immediately; leaving Mark and Collins alone to talk.

"Do I _really_ want to know what they're doing in there?" the anarchist asked as he looked at the couple's closed and locked door. Mark shrugged.

"Use your imagination," he replied simply.

"Oh my God, bad mental picture!" Mark laughed. "I'm going to have to get _really_ drunk to forget about that!" Mark got up.

"You do that now, I'm going to bed. Night."

"Night." Collins stayed up for a little while longer. His mind drifted to Angel. It wasn't fair that she wasn't here to get better. Collins dwelled on Angel while he finished his joint, and then went to bed for the night.

The next morning, Mimi rolled over to find herself alone in bed. She sat up, and held the sheet to her chest; Roger was nowhere to be found. Mimi got up, and pulled on a pair of gray sweatpants, and a black spaghetti strap tank top. When she went out to the front room, she found Roger sitting on the window seat with a cup of coffee in front of him.

"Morning sexy," Mimi purred as she sat down across from her boyfriend. Roger leaned over, and kissed the dancer tenderly.

"Morning," he said huskily. Mimi got up, and climbed onto Roger's lap. She kissed his cheek softly. "Sleep well?" Mimi ran her fingertips up and down Roger's muscular bicep.

"After last night, yeah right." Roger wrapped his arms around Mimi. "Hey babe, I was thinking last night…"

"Was I really that bad last night that you had to resort to thinking?" Mimi giggled and shook her head.

"No, you were _wonderful_. This was when I was trying to fall asleep." Roger rubbed Mimi's arm. "I was thinking about us, and how we can be together no matter what now."

"Exactly when I was thinking. So, the other day I dug this out of my dresser." Roger shifted slightly, and pulled an antique diamond ring out of his pocket.

"Where did you get that?"

"It was some distant relative's, and they left it to me when they died. So, Miss Mimi Marquez, will you marry me?" Mimi nodded. Tears threatened to spill out of her large brown eyes.

"Yes, oh God yes!' Roger slipped the ring on Mimi's finger, and began to kiss her passionately.

When Mark came out of his room several minutes later, Roger and Mimi were still making out on the window seat. The filmmaker cleared his throat, and the couple jumped apart.

"Morning," Mark said as he got himself a cup of coffee.

"Morning," Roger and Mimi said in unison as if they hadn't been caught making out…again.

"Guess what Mark!" Mimi exclaimed as she got up and began to bounce around. She was more like Maureen energy wise with each passing day. "Roger and I are getting married!" mark looked at Roger.

"You are?" he asked. The rocker nodded. "Congratulations you guys." Mimi was now bouncing off the walls. "God Roger, what'd you feed her?"

"Absolutely nothing," Roger replied with a sigh.

"Oh yeah, she was already occupied with your tongue shoved down her throat." Roger gave Mark the finger, and took a sip of his coffee. Mark rolled his eyes, and began to dig around for something to eat.

Later that night, Roger watched the gentle rise and fall of Mimi's chest. He carefully brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and continued to watch her sleep. Roger sighed. Mimi had been so excited about getting married, but he couldn't give her the lavish wedding she deserved. Roger slid under the covers, and draped his arm over Mimi's waist. Soon, he too was asleep.

One day, Roger was sitting on the edge of his bed playing his guitar when he felt a pair of thin arms around his neck. Mimi kissed the rocker's cheek, and rested her chin in his shoulder.

"Hey baby," she whispered in his ear. Roger put his guitar to the side. "Let's get married." Now, Roger was confused.

"But we are getting married," he said. Mimi gracefully flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"I know, but we can't afford a big wedding, and I don't want you to stress over it. Let's elope; I don't want a big wedding." Roger turned slightly to face Mimi better.

"Don't you want our friends there? I mean, it's our big day and all, and they'll want to be there." Mimi rolled back on her heels the best that she could on the lumpy bed. Her eyebrows were knit in deep thought.

"I want them there more than anything, but we can't afford it. If we elope, it won't cost _nearly_ as much. If you don't want to, we don't have to." Roger didn't answer right away. Mimi waited patiently for his answer.

"Yeah, okay." Mimi clapped, causing her to lose her balance and fall over. "We're going to have to find someone to marry us." Mimi pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket.

"Already done," she said.

"How'd you know that I'd say yes?"

"Because if you said no, I was fully prepared to begin to pout and whine."

"Wow, you really want to do this don't you?" Mimi got up, and straddled Roger's lap.

"It's spontaneous, adventurous; no day but today baby." Roger kissed Mimi tenderly.

"Okay, let's go."

a few hours later, Roger and Mimi returned to the loft…married. Mark, Collins, Joanne, and Maureen were all sitting around talking.

"Okay, what'd you both do?" Collins asked when he saw Roger and Mimi's happy faces.

"What makes you think we did something?" Mimi asked innocently.

"Your faces," Collins and Joanne said at the same time. Mimi and Roger looked at each other; they might as well tell them.

"Well," Mimi started. "We knew that we couldn't afford a big wedding, or any wedding for that matter, so we eloped." Maureen squealed, and threw her arms around Mimi's neck. Collins got up, and gave Roger a hug.

"Congrats man," Mark said as he gave Roger a brotherly hug.

"Okay, okay, enough mushy shit. Let's celebrate!" Maureen exclaimed. Mimi cheered, and Collins pulled a bottle of vodka out of the refrigerator. Soon, and full fledged drunken Bohemian celebration was underway.

**A/N:** There you go, chapter 4. People have been asking about my trip, the best part? Getting home! It SUCKED! It was cool seeing the falls and all, but being with my family…ARGH! My friend had a better time in NYC (big surprise there). She was John Stamos, and got Halie Duff and Diana DeGarmo's autographs (they're both in Hairspray right now). Anyway, don't get used to really long chapters like this one! Some are about as long, but most are shorter, and I'm about half way done writing it (chapter 10). Okay, this is long enough. Until next time, much love!

Tina101


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Roger lay next to Mimi on their bed with his head on her chest. The dancer was mindlessly stroking her husband's long hair.

"Hey honey, I was thinking," Mimi told Roger.

"Last time you said that, we got married."

"Is that a bad thing?" Roger shook his head.

"It's a perfectly wonderful thing. So, what were you thinking about this time?"

"Do you want to have kids?"

"Kids?" Roger stopped to think. "I never really thought about it. Could you ever really picture me as a Father?"

"Yeah." Roger got up, and straddled Mimi's hips.

"You're lying to me, Mrs. Davis, and now you'll have to pay," he said seductively. Mimi smiled; partially because she knew where this was going, and partially because of being called Mrs. Davis. Roger brought his lips down on his wife's in a fiery kiss.

Mimi rolled off Roger and onto the vacant space on the bed next to him. For nearly seven months they had been trying to have kids and nothing yet. Wordlessly, Mimi rolled over so her back was to Roger, and closed her eyes. Roger propped himself up with one arm, and stroked Mimi's hair.

"You okay Meems?" he asked quietly. Mimi nodded.

"Yeah, I'm just really tired, that's all," she replied. Roger kissed the smooth skin on Mimi's upper arm softly.

"I'm sorry honey," he whispered in her ear before rolling over to go to bed. Confused, Mimi rolled over to face her husband.

"Why are you apologizing to me?"

"You want a baby, and I haven't been able to give you one. I'm sorry." Mimi pecked Roger on the lips.

"Maybe, we're just not meant to be parents yet," she said quietly. Roger pulled Mimi closed. He knew how much those words hurt to her.

A few days later, Mimi, Maureen, and Joanne were sitting around the loft talking while the guys were out getting drunk at the Life. Mimi got up, and got herself another glass of water.

"God chica, save some for the fish!" Maureen exclaimed. Mimi sighed as she sat back down on the couch.

"Well _sorry_. I've been feeling kinda off lately, and really thirsty," she snapped.

"Have you told Roger?" Joanne asked. Mimi shook her head, and took a drink of her water. "Well…why not?"

"He's been really distant lately, you know? Like he feels like it's his fault that I'm not pregnant yet, but I'm not blaming him." Joanne put her hand on Mimi's arm to comfort her. a few tears slid down the dancer's cheek which she promptly wiped away.

"All in good time, sweetie. Eventually you'll have that baby, and when you're up at three in the morning trying to get it to fall asleep, you'll ask yourself, 'what the hell were we thinking?'" Joanne said. Mimi smiled. Leave it to her friends to cheer her up when she was down. Joanne and Maureen only stayed until 10, because Joanne had toe be at court early the following morning, and they wanted to let Mimi get some sleep. By the time the Boho boys got back from the Life, Mimi was already in bed and asleep. Roger noticed that her hand was on her stomach. He sighed as he got undressed. He longed to give her the one thing she now deserved…a baby.

Mimi slipped out of the bedroom, but went back to grab what she needed. When you're the only girl in an apartment of four, women's hygiene products are best kept out of the bathroom. Mimi closed the bathroom door. A minute or so later, she got _very_ confused. Her period was five days late now. Angel used to joke that Mimi's period was like clockwork, but now Mimi was worried.

"Hey Collins, I'm going to, uh, run out quickly. I'll be back soon," she said as she grabbed her, rather Roger's sweatshirt.

"Okay," Collins said, not looking up from whatever he was reading.

Mimi dashed down the street to the drug store, and nervously looked for what she needed. When she found it, she grabbed the cheapest one she could find, paid the cashier, and left. As Mimi walked back to the loft, she contemplated as to whether or not she _really _wanted to know what was wrong with her. Either way, she'd find out sooner or later. Collins was in the exact same place when Mimi got back to the loft.

"Hey, back so soon?" he asked the dancer. Mimi shrugged off her jacket, and picked up the brown paper bag that held what he had gotten at the store.

"Yeah. I'm gonna do my hair, it's all gross." Collins nodded, and went back to work. Paper bag in hand, Mimi locked herself in the bathroom.

Mimi did what she needed to do, and decided to wash her hair while she waited so Collins wouldn't get suspicious. Finally, fifteen minutes passed. With shaking hands, Mimi picked up the test, and read the results. She was pregnant.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

Mimi didn't know how long she stood there in shock. Seconds, minutes, maybe even hours? All she knew that Collins knocking on the door brought her back to reality.

"You okay Meems?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah, fine; never better."

"Okay." He sounded skeptical. "I've gotta go tutor some rich punk, I'll be back later."

"Have fun!" Mimi heard Collins grunt, and laughed to herself.

When Mimi was sure that Collins was gone, she tossed the pregnancy test in the paper bag, and stashed it in the one place Roger would never look…her dresser drawer. Then, Mimi closed the bedroom door, rolled up her shirt, and looked at her reflection in the cheap full length mirror hanging on the back of the door. She chewed on her bottom lip, and looked at her flat stomach from various angles. How long would it be until she lost her small figure? Unable to remain so pessimistic any longer, tears of joy slid down Mimi's cheek. She was _finally_ going to be a Mom!

Roger returned home with Mark about half an hour later. Mimi was busy in the kitchen making dinner when they got back. Roger wrapped his arms around Mimi's waist from behind, and kissed her shoulder softly.

"And what have you been up to all day?" he asked her. His hot breath tickled Mimi's soft skin.

"Nothin' much. Collins left about forty-five minutes ago to tutor someone, so it's just been me." Roger kissed Mimi's cheek.

"You feeling okay babe?" Mimi nodded. "You seem a little pale and quiet."

"I'm fine!" snapped Mimi. Roger put his hands up defensively, and backed away.

"Okay, okay, sorry for being worried about my wife! Next time you don't feel well, I'll keep my nose out of your damn business!" Before Mimi could retaliate, roger picked up his guitar, and flopped down on the couch. The dancer sighed, and went back to cooking. Then, she did something only she realized; put her hand on the lower stomach.

Later that night, Mimi and Roger were still mad at each other. Much to both their dismay, Mark was filming them both. Mimi was trying to figure out when to tell Roger about the baby. No matter what, it had to be special.

"Earth to Mimi," Mark said, bringing the dancer back to the loft. "You feeling okay Meems?" Mimi nodded as she got up.

"Yeah, never better," she replied. Roger snorted and shook his head. "What the hell is your problem Roger Davis?" Mimi demanded. Roger stood up. Even though he appeared to tower over Mimi, the dancer didn't back down. For some reason, Mark continued to film.

"You, you are my damn problem! You're moody, withdrawn, and blaming me for _every little thing_!" Roger ran his fingertips up and down Mimi's upper arm, and softened his tone. "Please tell me what's wrong honey." Mimi sighed. She chewed on her bottom lip, and shifted from one foot to the other.

"I wanted to do something special and tell you, but since you're _dying_ to know, I'll tell you," Mimi said in an ice cold tone. "I'm pregnant." It took the words a few seconds to sink in, but even then, Roger didn't believe them.

"You're, you're what?"

"I'm pregnant Roger; I'm going to have a baby." Now, Mimi was all smiled. Roger pulled her close, and kissed her passionately. Mark was now _very_ glad that he had continued to film. He had captured one of the most important moments of his friends' lives on film. Roger held Mimi closed, and stroked her hair.

"You should have told me! I thought that I had forgotten something important like your birthday." Mimi pulled away from Roger.

"No, that's next week," she said simply. Roger's face fell, causing both Mark and Mimi to start laughing. "I'm _joking_! My birthday's in July."

"Yeah, I thought I had just gotten you something a few months ago." Mimi kissed Roger's cheek.

"I thought that I'd at least try." Mimi yawned. "I'm gonna go to bed early. Night guys."

"Night," Mark and Roger said at the same time.

After Mimi went to bed, Roger went out on the fire escape; leaving Mark alone until the loft door slid open, and in burst Maureen.

"Hello-" she started loudly.

"Shh!" Mark snapped. Maureen pouted. Her big entrance had been ruined. "Mimi's sleeping."

"But it's so _early_," the diva whined. Mark shrugged.

"Well, she's not feeling well."

"Still?" Joanne asked as she sat down.

"Yeah, but she finally figured out what was wrong."

"Oh, what?" Maureen chirped. Mark shook his head.

"No, I can't tell you. Either Roger or Mimi has to tell you." Maureen crossed her arms, and continued to pout until she saw Roger outside. Wordlessly, she climbed out to the fire escape.

Maureen stood next to Roger on the fire escape. A cigarette dangled casually from the rocker's two fingers as he stood there.

"What's wrong with you, Roger?" Maureen asked, trying not to sound rude.

"It's not me, it's Mimi," replied Roger.

"Mimi? Is she okay? Mark won't tell us why she hasn't been feeling well lately."

"It's morning sickness."

"Morning sickness?" After a few seconds, Maureen let out a squeal, and threw her arms around Roger.

"Congratulations!" she exclaimed. Her face fell when she saw that Roger didn't share her excitement. "Why aren't you happy? You and Mimi have been trying for ages to have a baby! You should be happy for yourselves!"

"I was…I am, it's just…" Roger trailed off.

"Just what?" Roger looked at Maureen. She was wearing a thin jacket despite the cool late October air.

"You're going to get sick out here in that jacket." Maureen furrowed her brow, and looked at her jacket.

"You're changing the subject Davis. Tell me why you're not excited about the baby." Roger pulled off his jacket, and handed it to Maureen.

"Put this on first," he ordered.

"And then you'll tell me?" Roger shrugged.

"Depends on how much you bother me." Maureen yanked the jacket out of Roger's hand, and pulled it on hastily.

"I won't bother you if you let me have a cigarette."

"Sure, help yourself." Maureen pulled a cigarette out of Roger's pocket, and lit it up. "Mimi's trying to get me to cut down on my cigarettes anyway. Believe it or not, this is my first one today."

"Then why do you need one now?" Roger didn't answer. "Come on Roger, you used to tell me what was bothering you. Please?" Maureen began to pout and bat her long eyelashes. "I wanna help you out."

"I'm worried about the baby. What if it still gets HIV even though Mimi and I don't have it anymore? I'd be condemning my child to death, because of my carelessness." Maureen covered Roger's large hand with her smaller one.

"Even if this baby _is_ HIV positive, it'll still have a family that loves it more than anything. You should be happy; you're going to be a Dad."

Joanne watched Maureen and Roger interact, and said, "I've never seen the two of them like that." Mark looked up from his camera.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like _that_." Joanne motioned towards the fire escape. "Talking civilized for longer than five minutes. It's a side of both of them I've never seen."

"Roger and Maureen go way back. They've known each other since high school. When I came here after Brown, Roger introduced me to Maureen." Joanne crossed her legs, and leaned back in her chair.

"I didn't know that. I guess you learn something new everyday." Mark nodded, and went back to his camera.

Several minutes later, Maureen and Roger returned inside. The diva shed the jacket, and handed it back to her friend.

"Thanks Roger," she said before sitting down lightly on Joanne's lap. Joanne wrapped her arms around Maureen, and pulled her close.

"You doin' okay man?" Mark asked his best friend. Roger nodded as he took a seat on the couch.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Nobody knew what exactly to say. Joanne broke the silence.

"So Mimi's feeling a little better now?" she asked. Roger shifted in his seat slightly.

"A little. We figured out what was wrong with her though," he replied.

"Really? What?"

"She's pregnant."

"Congratulations Roger! I know how much you guys have been trying. Do you know how far along she is?"

"About a month and a half I think. Luckily, the morning sickness hasn't _fully_ set in yet."

"Give it another week or two." Groaning, Roger put his head in his hands. It was going to be a _long_ nine months!

**A/N:** There you go, a LONG chapter! I have written, up to chapter 16 (and that's a REALLY long chapter too!). I expect this story to be about 20 chapters (which is long for me). Anyway, homecoming is tonight, so I won't be able to type and update until tomorrow or Monday. Much love!

Tina101


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

two months

Mimi was draped across the couch reading over some of the papers Collins had already graded while the anarchist continued to work.

"I have _no clue_ what the hell this paper says," Mimi sighed as she handed Collins the paper. The anarchist quickly scanned it over.

"Neither did this person. This paper makes _no_ sense," he explained. Mimi picked up another paper, and began to read it. Roger came out of the bedroom, and kissed Mimi's cheek.

"I'm gonna run to the store, I take it you want something," he told her. Mimi propped herself up on one elbow, and chewed on her bottom lip.

"Yeah, one of those bags of salad and Ranch dressing, no Italian, no, wait, Caesar." Roger and Collins looked at each other.

"I'll see what they have." Roger gave Mimi another kiss. "Love you." Mimi lay back down.

"Love you too." Roger grabbed his jacket and scarf, and left to go to the store.

Collins thought that it would be a fairly quiet morning. Suddenly, Mimi leapt up off the couch, and bolted for the bathroom. The sound of her throwing up quickly followed.

After several minutes, Collins called, "You doin' okay Meems?"

"Yeah, I'm uh, fine." Collins heard Mimi digging around in the bathroom. "Do we have any more mouthwash left?" Collins stopped to think.

"Uh, no. Roger's picking some up at the store, sorry." Mimi swore under her breath as she grabbed her toothbrush, and brushed her teeth to get the nasty taste out of her mouth.

A few minutes later, Mimi came back out of the bathroom. She curled up on the couch, and wrapped a blanket around her. Collins got up to get himself some more coffee.

"How are you feeling, Mimi?" he asked. Mimi burrowed deeper under the blanket so she looked like a large blob with huge soulful brown eyes.

"Morning sickness is a bitch," she mumbled. Collins chuckled as he sat back down. "I don't even get why it's called morning sickness, it lasts _all day_!"

"There's medication that helps with morning sickness 'ya know." Mimi shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. It's not for the entire nine months. I'll live." Collins shrugged, and went back to the never ending grading process.

When Roger got back from the store, Mimi was still curled up on the couch, and Collins was still grading papers. After Roger pulled off his jacket and scarf, he handed Mimi a bag of salad, a fork, and a shopping bag with three bottles of dressing in it.

"What kind of dressing did you get me?" the dancer asked as she yanked open the bag.

"All three that way you can choose for yourself." Mimi smiled as she tore open the bag of salad, and poured some Caesar dressing into it, and shook it up.

"Thanks baby." Roger watched as Mimi gulped down the salad. The dancer leaned against Roger's shoulder, and ate the entire bag of salad.

A few minutes after Mimi finished eating her salad, she ran for the bathroom. Roger followed. He crouched down next to her, and rubbed her back until she was done emptying her stomach.

When Mimi was done, she leaned up against Roger, and muttered bitterly, "So much for actually enjoying my salad." Roger smiled, and kissed the top of Mimi's head.

"At least you had something in your system for a little while."

"For a grand total of two minutes." Roger rubbed Mimi's upper arm, and sat with her in the bathroom while she ranted about morning sickness.

A week later, Maureen burst into the apartment, announcing, "Hello lazy bums!" Everyone looked up from what they were doing.

"Hey Mo," Mimi said brightly. Maureen sauntered over to the couch, and sat down lightly next to the dancer. "What's up?"

"It's so _boring_ at my place. Joanne has to work late on some case; leaving me home alone. So, I came here," Maureen replied with a shrug. "Oh, oh, I've come up with a name for your baby; at least until it's born."

"A name?" Roger repeated; worried about what Maureen would say next.

"Yeah, you can't keep calling it 'it' until it's born. So, I came up with the name Mickey." Mark rolled his eyes, and Collins chuckled and shook his head.

"Mickey?" Roger asked. "What if it's a girl? Mickey's a boy's name." Maureen shrugged.

"It's just temporary until the baby's born." Mimi gave Maureen a hug.

"I like it, so shut up," she snapped. Groaning, Roger got up. It wasn't worth arguing with his pregnant wife and Maureen.

**A/N:** Each chapter will be one month during the pregnancy (next chapter Mimi will be three months pregnant, and so on and so forth) unless there isn't a little thing at the beginning of the chapter saying how far along she is. That's about it then. Much love!

Tina101


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

Three Months

It was becoming more and more obvious that Mimi was pregnant. Much to the dancer's dismay, she was beginning to lose her small figure. One afternoon, the phone began to ring. Mimi got up off the couch and answered it so Mark could keep working on his film.

"Hello?" she asked as she leaned up against the desk on the far side of the room.

"Is this the home of Roger and Mimi Davis?" a male voice on the other end asked.

"Yes; this is Mimi Davis. May I ask who's calling?"  
"My name is Ed Jones from _The Village Voice_, and I'm doing an article about the treatment for AIDS. I was wondering if I could ask you and your husband a few questions."

"Roger's out with a friend, but I'll answer some of your questions."

"Okay, thanks. First off, what was your initial reaction when you found out about the treatment for AIDS?"

"I was shocked. I never thought that I'd live to see the day. I was completely and utterly shocked."

"What was the treatment like?"  
"Umm, it was like getting chemotherapy. You'd lie down on this bed type thing, and go into this tube so to speak. After each treatment, you'd get blood drawn to measure your T-Cells. Getting the treatment was _very_ tiring. After each one, I'd fall asleep as soon as I got home."

"And no you no longer have the AIDS virus?"

"Correct."

"If you don't mind me asking, where are you now in life?"

"Roger and I got married once we found out that we would both live long enough to share a life together. Right now, I'm three months pregnant with our first child. We're better off money-wise since we don't have to buy AZT for three people every month."

"Well, congratulations." Mimi blushed.

"Thank you."

"No, thank you for your time, and for answering my questions. I'll call you if I have any other questions."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye Mrs. Davis."

When Mimi hung up the phone, Mark asked, "Who was that?" The dancer began to dig around the semi stocked refrigerator for something to eat.

"Some reporter from _The Village Voice_ doing an article about the AIDS treatment. He wanted to ask me a few questions," she replied.

"Which reporter?" Mimi opened one of the yogurts Joanne had brought over.

"Umm, Ed Jones or something like that."

"Mimi, Ed Jones is the front page journalist. A good portion of his articles end up in _The New York Times_!" Mimi's eyes nearly doubled in size.

"Seriously?" Mark nodded. "That's so cool! So I might be in the Times?" Mark shrugged.

"You might, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. I'm sure Joanne will tell you if she sees the article." Mimi sauntered over to where Mark was working, and tried to grab his notebook. The filmmaker quickly snatched his precious notebook out of Mimi's hands.

"Why won't you let me see it Mark?" asked Mimi.

"I've told you like a million times, because it's going to be a surprise. Now, _please_ let me finish this segment for _Buzzline_; my deadline's tomorrow morning." Mimi finished her yogurt, and threw away the plastic container. One way or another, she'd get her hands on that notebook!

As Roger and Mimi lay in bed together that night, Mimi excitedly told her husband about her interview.

"That's great honey!" Roger said as he kissed Mimi's cheek. It was obvious that she was really excited. "But Mark's right, don't get your hopes up." Mimi sat up, and sat Indian-style on the bed.

"I know, but still, it's really cool. Come one, you should be happy for me." Roger propped himself up, and put his hand on the slight bulge that was Mimi's stomach.

"I am happy for you; I really am." Mimi leaned over, and pecked Roger on the lips.

"Good, you better be." The dancer slid under the covers, and closed her eyes. Soon, sleep claimed her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

Four Months

One afternoon, Maureen showed up at the loft and exclaimed, "Mimi, we're going shopping!"

"Shopping?" Mimi asked as she came out of the bathroom. "Shopping for what?"

"Maternity clothes, duh! Now come _on_! Joanne gave me her credit card," Maureen said with a cheeky smile. Mimi rolled her eyes.

"One sec, lemme tell Roger and get some money. Hey Roger!" Mimi yelled. Guitar in hand, Roger came out of the bedroom.

"God woman, you have a big mouth," he grumbled as he leaned against the metal table.

"Well sorry. Listen, Maureen and I are going shopping; I need money."

"What are you going shopping for?"  
"I need maternity clothes. My regular clothes aren't going to fit for much longer. Look, this shirt's already tight!" Mimi opened up her jacket. Sure enough, her shirt was tight. Sighing, Roger pulled out his wallet. Ever since he got a job as a bartender and there was no longer the need for AZT, money wasn't _nearly_ as tight.

"Okay, here. Have fun." Mimi gave Roger a quick kiss, and skipped out the door with Maureen.

After some searching, Mimi and Maureen found a store that sold decently priced maternity clothes. The two friends began to flip through the various racks of clothes.

"God, some of these clothes are so frumpy," Maureen exclaimed as she held up some of the shirts. Mimi draped some of the tops she liked over her arm.

"Will I really be this fat?" she asked with a frown and dissatisfied look on her face.

"Probably." Mimi looked hurt, and threw a shirt at Maureen. "What? It's the truth! You're going to be fat in the end."

"Well, I _know_ that, but you're supposed to be sympathetic, and tell me that I won't be _nearly_ this fat." Maureen snorted.

"Me, sympathetic? Yeah, right!"

"I dunno what I was thinking." Mimi sorted through some more shirts. Some of them _were_ really frumpy.

Two hours, and one hundred dollars later, Mimi and Maureen were walking down the street towards the subway.

"Oh look! That's Pookie's office building!" the diva squealed as she pointed at a large building across the street. "Let's go see her!" Mimi rubbed the small of her back, and shook her head.

"My back's killing me, and these bags weigh a ton, I'm just gonna go home." Maureen gave the dancer a hug.

"Okay, I'll see you later then." Before leaving, Mimi watched Maureen dash across the street, and in Joanne's office building.

As Mimi exited the subway station, she had a sudden craving for one thing…chocolate. She entered the drugstore across from the loft, and picked up the first chocolate bar she found.

As she was paying, a voice behind her asked, "Mimi?" Mimi spun around to find Benny standing there with a cup of coffee.

"Hey Benny! What are you doing here?" the dancer asked her old friend. Benny shrugged.

"Collecting the rent, what else? How have you been lately? Looks like you've been shopping," he said as he looked at Mimi's shopping bags. Mimi smiled.

"Yeah, I, uh, needed some maternity clothes." Benny's eyes nearly doubled in size. He wasn't nearly prepared for that.

"Congratulations. I take it you, Davis, and Collins got that treatment then?" Mimi stopped.

"How'd you know about us getting the treatment?" Benny stared at the ground. It didn't take Mimi long to figure out how her friend knew about the treatment. "Mark came to you for money didn't he?" Benny didn't answer right away.

"Yeah, yeah he did, and I wanted to help. Even if he hadn't come to me, I would have helped if I had found out. I'm happy for you. You still with Roger?" Mimi nodded.

"Yeah. We decided to get married after the treatment, because we'd finally be able to be together."

"Congratulations again. It's good that you two finally worked things out, and got settled."

"Yeah, we're really happy now." Mimi shifted from one foot to the other, uncertain as to what to say next. "I should really get going. Roger's been really protective and shit, because of the baby. He's heart in the right place though." Benny chuckled.

"I'll see you later then Meems." Mimi waved, and left to go back to the loft. She was glad that she had the chance to see Benny again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

Five Months

Roger was sprawled out across the bed his head resting in what was left of Mimi's lap. Mimi gently stroked his long hair and rough cheek. The comforting silence was interrupted by Roger coughing uncontrollably.

When he was done, Mimi said, "I'm getting worried about that cough, hun. It's really bad." Roger shook his head.

"It's just a cold babe," he said.

"It was just a cold for Angel," Mimi said sadly. Roger sat up, and held Mimi closed. A few tears slid down the dancer's cheek.

"Its okay, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere. It's just a cold, that's all. Now, we don't have to worry about cold anymore." Mimi pulled away from Roger.

"I'm sorry," she said as she wiped away her tears. "I'm just afraid of losing you."

"Like it or not, you're stuck with me forever." Smiling, Mimi pecked Roger on the lips, and settled back down in bed.

Mimi walked out of her bedroom scowling, and rubbing the small of her back. Roger was at work, and Mark and Collins were playing some sort of card game at the makeshift coffee table.

"What's wrong Meems?" Collins asked his friend. Sighing, Mimi lowered herself into a chair.

"My back is _killing_ me," she replied bitterly.

"You know, we have hot water for once," Mark said as he took two cards off the table. Mimi figured that they were playing poker.

"And…"

"You could take a hot bath. It'll probably help out with your back." Mimi got up with some grace and ease.

"I think I'll do that, but first gimme your cards, Mark." Not wishing to anger a pregnant woman (which Roger still forgot not to do!), Mark handed over his cards. Mimi discarded two cards, picked up two more, and handed them back to Mark. "There, that was really bothering me." As Mimi left, Mark showed his hand, two pairs (I guess that's good, I don't play cards).

The warm water was soothing to Mimi. Letting out a content sigh, she closed her eyes. Ten minutes later, her eyes flew open when she heard the bathroom door open.

"Mind if I join you?" Roger asked. Mimi smiled.

"Of course," she replied. Roger shed his clothes, and sat behind Mimi in the bathtub. He covered his mouth, and began to cough. "roger, that couch doesn't sound any better, it sounds worse." Mimi pressed her lips against Roger's cheek. "And it feels like you have a fever." Roger wrapped his arms around Mimi, and put his hands on her stomach.

"It's just a cold. I'm the one that's supposed to be worried about you, not the other way around." Mimi played with Roger's medical alert bracelet.

"If you're not getting better in a week, then I want you to go see a doctor."

"Yes Mom." Mimi smiled, and leaned back against Roger. She liked the sound of that…Mom.

Roger didn't get any better. As a week passed, his cough got worse; he still had a fever, and was sick to his stomach. No matter what Mimi said, the rocker would insist that it was just a virus from work, and that he'd be fine in a few days. One afternoon, Mimi went to go wake Roger up. He had been asleep since ten at night the night before. Mimi sat on the edge of their bed, and shook Roger's legs.

"Come on Roger, time to get up," she said firmly, but Roger wouldn't budge. "Roger come on! It's time to get up!" Deciding to take a different approach, Mimi got up, and began to kiss Roger. She was fully prepared for Roger grabbing her and kissing her back; only he didn't. Now Mimi was getting scared. "This isn't funny Roger! Get up!" When the dancer felt Roger's cheek, she found that he was burning up. "Collins! Mark! Help! Someone call 911!"

**A/N:** Okay, I'm off to find something happy (after this and _Love Heals_, and listening to _Without You_, I'm in a pretty sad mood now). Anyway, yeah, I've finished _Off-Set_, but fictionpress isn't working.

Tina101


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

Upon hearing Mimi screaming, Mark and Collins rushed into the room. They found Mimi shaking Roger screaming at him to get up.

"What's wrong?" Mark asked. Mimi spun around.

"It's Roger," she sobbed. "He's breathing, but he won't wake up. He's burning up too. Do something, _please_."

"I'm going to call 911," Collins said before rushing out of the room. Mark went over and wrapped his arms around a sobbing Mimi.

"Collins is calling 911, don't worry. Everything's going to be fine," he said as he tried to calm Mimi down. The dancer shook her head.

"This is my fault. I should have made him go see a doctor sooner," she sobbed.

"It's nobody's fault. Come on; let's go in the other room until the ambulance arrives." When Mark tried to lead Mimi to the other room, she pulled away.

"I have to wait here with Roger in case he wakes up." The dancer sat on the edge of the bed, and stared at the slight rise and fall of Roger's chest.

An ambulance arrived in record time. Mimi went in the ambulance with Roger while Mark and Collins would travel by subway. About half way to the hospital, Roger's eyes shot open.

"Mimi? What's going on?" he asked in a hoarse voice. Mimi leaned over, and held his hand.

"You're on the way to the hospital," she replied. "You're burning up." Roger closed his eyes, and drifted back unconscious.

When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Mimi was taken to a waiting room while Roger was taken to run some tests. The dancer paced back and forth across the room while twirling her wedding ring.

"Mimi?" a voice from behind her asked after several long minutes. Mimi spun around, and found Joanne standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" Mimi asked.

"Collins called me from a payphone. Traffic's a mess, and he and Mark are stuck in it. My office's down the street, so I said that I'd come down here to be with you."

"Oh thank you," Mimi breathed. "I, I don't know what's wrong with him. What if it's the virus? What if the treatment didn't work?" Joanne grabbed Mimi's shoulders firmly.

"You need to calm down; you have this baby to think about. Why don't you lie down while we wait? Catch your breath maybe?" Joanne led Mimi over to the couch. The dancer rested her head against her friend's leg, and closed her eyes.

Half an hour later, a nurse came into the waiting room, and asked, "Mrs. Davis? Is there a Mrs. Davis in here?" Mimi sat up and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm Mrs. Davis," she replied.

"Come with me please," the nurse said in a bored tone. It was clear that she didn't want to be there. Mimi got up, and followed the nurse to Roger's room. Roger lay in the hospital bed with his eyes closed. He looked so pale and sickly, almost like Angel had. When Mimi sat on the bed, Roger's eyes fluttered open. The nurse silently slipped out of the room.

"Hey," Roger said in a hoarse voice.

"Hey yourself. How are you feeling?"  
"Like crap. Apparently I have pneumonia or something. You were right, I'm sorry, I should have listened to you."

"Wait, did you just admit that _I_ was right, and _you_ were wrong?" Roger laughed, which promptly turned into a cough. "You okay?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine. That's the only time that I'll ever admit that I was wrong, so don't get used to it." Mimi smiled and kissed Roger's rough cheek. He was hooked up to an oxygen machine to help him breath. Roger could tell that Mimi was uncomfortable being back in a hospital. "You don't have to stay here if you don't want to."  
"No, it's fine. Joanne's out in the waiting room, I should probably let her know that you're alright; she was pretty worried." Mimi stood up.

"Have Joanne come back here, I have something to ask her." the dancer nodded and left.

A few minutes later, Mimi returned with Joanne. The lawyer went over, and gave Roger a kiss on the cheek. Mimi sat back down on the edge of the bed.

"How are you doing sweetie?" Joanne asked.

"I hate hospitals," Roger replied bitterly. Joanne smiled; typical Roger attitude.

"Besides that, how are you?" Roger shrugged.

"Okay I guess. Listen, Jo, I have a favor to ask you. I'll be home in about a week; what I want you to do is take Mimi down to the free clinic to get the baby checked out." Mimi's head whipped around.

"I don't need to get the baby check out," she snapped. "It's just a waste of time, right Joanne?" Joanne really didn't want to get in the middle of a Roger/Mimi fight, but no matter what she knew that she would.

"Sorry Meems, but I agree with Roger on this one. Are you sure that you don't want to wait and go together?" Roger shook his head.

"I want this done as soon as possible." The rocker put his hand on Mimi's round stomach, and stroked it with his thumb. "All I'm asking you to do is take one afternoon and go down to the free clinic to get our child checked out. If you don't go, I'll be forced to personally take you, and then I'll be pissed."

"I'll go, but Joanne's right, it should be you taking me, not her. Why can't it wait until you get back home?"

"Because I want you to go as soon as possible."

"I know that, but why can't it wait another week?"

"Because I said so!" Mimi closed her mouth. Something was definitely wrong with Roger, but she knew better than to push it when he was mad. Besides, he was sick, and she wanted him to get better. At the same time, Mimi wanted to know why Roger was so forceful about getting the baby checked out. Joanne put a comforting hand on Mimi's shoulder.

"Don't' worry Roger," said the lawyer. "I have the day off tomorrow, we can go then." Mimi sighed; she wasn't going to win this fight.

"Yeah, okay whatever; I'll go," she sighed. Roger continued to rub Mimi's stomach. He didn't want to tell her why he wanted her to go…not yet at least.

**A/N:** Okay, I didn't update because I wasn't getting ANY alerts from (coughagaincough) and I was mad (coughagaincough). Anyway, here's an update. For those who thought it was a false negative, I considered that, but I didn't want to do that. I have a FEW ideas for a sequel (this story has been completely written for AGES now), but no promises yet. Much love (and THRILLED to be back!!!)

Tina101


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

Mimi sat on the examination table still pissed that she had to go see a doctor in the first place. Joanne looked up from her book and chuckled.

"Try and contain your excitement, Meems," she said. Mimi rolled her eyes.

"The only reason I'm here is because-" The door opened, and in walked the doctor.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Hart. You're here for a sonogram, right?" she asked as she read over Mimi's clipboard. Mimi nodded.

"Yeah I am," she replied. Dr. Hart turned around to face Joanne. It was clear that she wasn't happy to see that Joanne was there instead of a guy.

"And you are?" Dr. Hart asked in a slightly harsh tone. Joanne stood up, and extended her hand. Dr. Hart just stared at it, so Joanne withdrew it.

"I'm Joanne Jefferson; a friend of Mimi's. Her husband couldn't make it, so I offered to come in his place." Dr. Hart looked slightly relived.

"Oh, okay. Well, umm, Mrs. Davis, why don't you lie back and pull up your shirt so we can look at that baby of yours?" Mimi complied. Dr. Hart rubbed a cold gel on Mimi's stomach, and turned on the sonogram machine. "Here's the head, and there's the body. Looks like you have a perfectly healthy baby, but there's no way to find out for sure until it's born." Dr. Hart moved the wand around Mimi's stomach some more. "Would you like to know the gender of the baby?" Mimi chewed on her bottom lip while she thought. After a few seconds, she shook her head.

"No, not yet," she replied. Dr. Hart looked at the monitor for a little while longer before printing out some pictures, and giving them to Mimi.

Half an hour later, Mimi and Joanne left the free clinic for the loft. Both were laughing about Dr. Hart.

"She thought that we were partners!" Joanne exclaimed.

"I wish Maureen had come with us. She would have taken care of things," Mimi said. Joanne shook her head.

"Thank God for small blessings. I think it worked out for the best that she's at home pouting about God only knows what." Mimi laughed.

"That's Maureen for you." Joanne sighed.

"Yeah, that's Maureen," she said quietly. Mimi put one hand on Joanne's shoulder.

"What's wrong Jo?" she asked. The two entered the apartment building. "Everything okay with you and Maureen?" Joanne nodded, but then stopped and shook her head.

"She was flirting with this girl last night; right in front of my too! When we got home, she didn't get why I was mad at her. She can be so immature at times!" Mimi stopped outside the door to the loft, and pulled Joanne into a warm hug.

"It's okay sweetie," the dancer said. "Maureen will learn." Joanne nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt the baby kicking inside of Mimi. The dancer laughed as her friend pulled away. "Weren't expecting it to kick were you?" Joanne shook her head. "Your face was _priceless_," Mimi said as she opened the door to the loft.

"It scared me, that's all," Joanne insisted as she followed Mimi inside. "it's cool though."

"It's not cool at three in the morning when you're trying to sleep," grumbled Mimi as she sat down on the couch. She rubbed her swollen belly with one hand.

"It kicks at three AM?" sighing, Mimi nodded.

"It's up all the time kicking. Roger's fast asleep, and I'm up with this damn kicking baby!" Joanne sat down next to Mimi.

"Don't swear about your baby. Just think, in a few months, you'll be holding this baby in your arm, and will kill anyone who gives that child a second glance." Mimi smiled weakly. Leave it to Joanne to know what to say.

"Sorry, I'm really tired, and stressed out about Roger." Joanne kissed Mimi's temple in a friendly manner.

"Why don't you eat, and then I'll take you down to the hospital?" Mimi nodded, and got up to get something to eat.

True to his word, Roger was home from the hospital a week later. He was so drained of energy that all he wanted to do was take a nap with Mimi. Mimi curled up next to Roger, and closed her eyes. Soon, they were both asleep.

When Mimi woke up an hour and a half later, Roger still appeared to be asleep. The dancer sat up, and ran her fingers through her husband's soft hair. A smiled played across Roger's slightly parted lips as he opened his eyes.

"Did I wake you?" Mimi asked, concerned about her husband's health. Roger shook his head.

"No, I was already up." Mimi stopped stroking Roger's hair. "Please don't stop; I miss feeling you near me." Mimi smiled, and started stroking Roger's hair again. Roger closed his eyes, and leaned into the dancer's gentle touch.

"How are you feeling?" Mimi asked after several minutes of silence.

"Better now that I'm home. I felt so left out and secluded in that damn hospital." Mimi leaned over to the best of her ability, and kissed Roger's forehead. He was still warm, but not nearly as warm as before. "And I missed you and the baby."

"I missed you too honey."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

Six Months

Roger lay in bed next to Mimi with his hand on her ever-growing stomach. Neither one wanted to get up out of bed. Finally, Mimi got up.

"Do we have any more mac and cheese?" she asked as the tried to pull on a pair of sweatpants.

Roger crawled across the bed, and said, "Here, let me help you." Mimi jerked away from Roger, and continued to get dressed on her own for several more minutes. "Come on Meems, let me help."

"I can get dressed on my own," snapped Mimi. "Besides, I'm not that fat…right? Right!?" Mimi got up and faced Roger.

"Mimi, baby, you have a baby growing inside of you; our baby. You're going to get your sexy figure back soon, but I don't care if you don't."

"But I do! I'm a dancer, my figure is everything! I feel so fat and bloated, and like shit all the time." Roger got up, and pulled Mimi close. "I'm sorry I can't be sexy and skinny for you." Roger stroked Mimi's long hair. These mood swings were going to drive him crazy.

After Mimi ate her mac and cheese, she curled up on the couch with a book, and her head in Roger's lap. The dancer was acting like her little breakdown had never even happened, which worried Roger. One second Mimi would be screaming about one thing or another, and the next she'd be cleaning like crazy. All Roger had to do was remind himself that it would all be over in two and a half months. The Boho boys were surprisingly understanding with Mimi. They dealt with her mood swings and cravings, and would just about do anything for her. Mimi was grateful that her friends were being so understanding, especially when she was such a royal bitch.

Mimi put one hand on Roger's knee, and the other on her stomach. She grimaced, and shifted uncomfortably. The baby wouldn't stop kicking!

"You okay?" Roger asked. Mimi nodded.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. It won't stop kicking, that's all." Roger put his hand over Mimi's, and could feel the baby kicking.

"Maybe you should have found out the gender of the baby, so we don't have to refer to it as 'it'."

"I didn't know that you wanted to find out. Besides, I want it to be a surprise." Mimi kissed Roger's thigh, and continued to rub her stomach.

Later that night, Mimi lay on her back with a hot pack wedged between her lover back and the bed. After a few minutes, she got up, and pulled off her sweatshirt. Roger entered the room, and wrapped his arms around Mimi.

"Sweetie, can I talk to you about something?" she asked innocently. Roger kissed her cheek.

"Of course, what's on your mind?"

"When I have the baby, I don't want to go to the hospital. I want to have the baby here." Roger shook his head.

"I'd feel more comfortable if you had the baby in a hospital," he said firmly. Mimi broke away from Roger, and turned around to face him.

"But this is what _I _want! I did what you wanted, and got eth baby checked out. Now, all I'm asking is not go to a hospital. It's not like I'm asking for a lot."

"See, that's where you're wrong! _You_ wanted to elope, so we did. _You_ wanted a baby, so for seven months I beat myself up because I could give you what you wanted. And now, now you're only thinking about yourself, not the baby. The baby might need some sort of medical attention when it's born, but that doesn't matter to you. Oh no, because what Mimi wants, Mimi gets. To hell with the rest of us!" yelled Roger. Tears of rage spilled down Mimi's cheeks.

"That is so like you! You just jump to conclusions, and not give a shit as to _why_ I don't want to go to a hospital. Do you want to listen to me, or do you want to keep pushing me down!?"

"I'm sure you'll tell me anyway, so you might as well tell me now. Go ahead Mimi; tell me why you're willing to put our child in harm's way, because you're so damn selfish!"

"You want to know why!? I can't stand to be in a hospital again! It's too much for me. That's where I lost Angel, and where I had to stay when I got back, and where I was afraid that I'd lose you. There, is that the answer you wanted, or did you want me to call myself a selfish son of a bitch!?"

"Meems, if you had just told me-"  
"You wouldn't let me; you were too busy insulting me! I couldn't get two words in on my defense."

"But now you've made your point more than clear." Mimi crossed her arms and glared at Roger.

"And yet you'll still argue that I'm being selfish, and that I'm not thinking about the baby."

"No, I'll argue that this is your choice to make, no matter what I think." Mimi still glared at Roger. "What!? Why are you still staring at me like I screwed up?"

"Because I don't believe that you'll let me have this baby at home, that's why," snapped Mimi.

"Then what the hell do you expect me to do to make you believe me? Tell me, and I'll be more than happy to do it!" Mimi shrugged.

"I don't know," she said quietly. "I, I don't know."

"If you want to have this baby at home, then I respect that. We can look into having the baby here, and having someone here to help you." Mimi looked surprised that Roger had given in to her pleas.

"Really?" Roger pulled Mimi as close as he could despite her stomach. He kissed the top of her head softly.

"Yeah, we'll make some calls, and see how much it'll cost." Mimi closed her eyes, and leaned against Roger. Yet again, she was acting like nothing had ever happened.

**A/N:** I have a request. I REALLY want to find this video of Idina and Taye. Its Taye promoting _How Stella Got Her Grove Back_ and Idina's in the audience. They were on the Today Show (I think). If you know where I can find it (I checked Idina's fan site, youtube, and google video) PLEASE let me know (I'd be happy!!) Much love.

Tina101


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:**

Seven Months

Roger called around and finally found a midwife in their price range. The day she was set to meet Roger and Mimi at the loft, Mark and Collins went out to give the couple their space. When someone knocked on the door, Roger got up to answer it because Mimi's back was killing her. At the door was a woman in her early forties with short blonde hair and a backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Is this the Davis residence?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm Roger Davis." Roger extended his hand.

"Linda Williams, nice to meet you." Linda and Roger shook hands.

"Same here. Please come in." Linda followed Roger inside. Mimi tried to get up, but Linda quickly stopped her.

"Don't get up on my account. I know how hard that can be for you," she said. Mimi smiled gratefully and settled back down on the couch. Linda sat down in the chair next to the couch and extended her hand. "Linda Williams."

"Mimi Davis." Mimi shook Linda's hand. She liked the older woman already.

Linda reached into her backpack and produced a manila envelope. Before turning to Roger and Mimi, she quickly scanned over the contents of the envelope.

"Okay, Mrs. Davis-"

"Mimi."

"Okay Mimi, just out of curiosity, why do you want to have the baby at home rather than at a hospital?" Mimi chewed on her bottom lip. should she tell Linda the real reason behind her decision?

"Roger and I are AIDS survivors and to be honest, I really would really like to avoid going back to a hospital, too many bad memories." Linda nodded.

"So I take it this is your first child then?"

"Yeah, this is my first baby."

"I know that you haven't experience pregnancy before, but have you had any problems? Sore ankles, stomach cramps, severe back aches maybe?" Mimi rubbed her stomach.

"My back has been absolutely killing me lately. I thought that it was normal though."  
"Some back pain is, but this sounds like a lot more than some." Linda got up. "Do you mind if I take a look at this baby of yours?" Mimi pulled up her shirt. With gentle hands, Linda examined the dancer's large stomach. "Quite a big baby here!"

"Is that normal?" Roger asked Linda from where he was sitting on the other chair next to the couch.

"It's perfectly fine. You've seen a doctor right?" Mimi nodded.

"Yeah, I went about a month or two ago." Linda got up and wrote something down in her folder.

"Okay Mimi, here's what I'm going to have you do. I want you on bed rest until the baby's born."

"Bed rest?" Mimi didn't like the sound of that.

"Yes, to help your back. Is there someone that can be here during the day with you, or who can check on you during the day?"

"Yeah, umm, Mark and Collins, our roommates are around a lot, so they can help. I really don't think that bed rest is necessary though," Mimi said as she fixed her shirt.

"Mimi, listen to her," said Roger, earning himself a deadly stare from his wife. Mimi turned back to Linda.

"This'll just have to be until the baby's born right?"

"Until the baby's born, yes." Mimi sighed and leaned back a little. "Where's your bedroom, you might be able to go between there and here and not be confined to your room? " Mimi pointed to her room.

"Right there," she replied.

"Okay, I don't want you on your feet fro more than an hour a day. You _don't_ have to stay in your bed all day, but if you're not in bed, then I want you on this couch." Mimi nodded.

"Okay," she said quietly.

"Try and contain your excitement!" Linda exclaimed as she stood up and grabbed her backpack. "I'll stop by once a week to check on your." She pulled a business card out of her pocket. "Here's my card. Call me for _anything_, especially if you go into labor early." Roger took the card and put it next to the phone.

"Thanks," Mimi said as she shook Linda's hand.

"You're welcome." Roger shook Linda's hand and thanks her before she left.

As soon as Linda left, Mimi lay down on the couch and closed her eyes. Roger sat on the edge of the couch and looked at his wife.

"You okay Meems?" he asked. Mimi's eyes fluttered open.

"Bed rest for six weeks!? How the hell do you think I am?" she snapped. Roger sighed.

"You want something? Anything I can do to make this easier for you?" Mimi shook her head and closed her eyes. Soon, her breathing evened out. Roger knew that she wasn't sleeping well at night, so he let her sleep.

**A/N:** SORRY!! I know I haven't updated in a while (or as often as I usually do). Just to let you know, this story has been completely written for almost a month. Okay, one for thing, before I start writing the new chapters for _Off-Camera_, is there ANYTHING that you would like to see added (talk about certain movies/plays they were in, relationships, things you don't get, etc). Let me know ASAP so I can try and work them in to the SIX new chapters!!!!

Tina101


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

Eight and a half months

Mimi lay in bed with one hand on her incredibly large stomach and the other holding up the magazine she was reading. A knock on the door caused the dancer to look up.

"Come in!" she called. The door opened, and in rushed Maureen and bounced on the bed. Joanne followed carrying a box-like thing with a handle on top.

"Hey Mimi!" Maureen exclaimed. "We brought you something!" Mimi put her magazine on the milk crate that served as her nightstand.

"You guys didn't have to get me anything." Joanne maneuvered around the basinet and bags of baby cloths and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Well, this was lying around our place, so we brought it over so you'd have something to do for the next two weeks," she said as she showed Mimi the portable TV with a VCR attached.

"Thanks you guys! That sure as hell beats starring at a wall." Joanne chuckled.

"That's what we figured. I mean to bring over a whole bunch of movies, but _someone_ left them at home." Maureen crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"God Pookie, you're still mad at me because of that!?' Mimi decided to jump in before the fight got any worse.

"Okay, no fighting please!" she exclaimed. "Roger has to get his jacket from your place after work, so send them with him."

"That works," Joanne said. She too was happy that an epic fight had been avoided.

After Joanne and Maureen left, Mimi went out to the front room and lay down on the couch. Mark was busy cutting together his film.

Suddenly, Mimi rolled over on her side and exclaimed, "Ow, ow, cramp! Cramp!" Immediately, Mark stopped what he was doing.

"You okay?" he asked, worried that his friend was going into labor. Mimi nodded.

"Yeah, it was just a cramp in my let," she replied. "Nothing big."

"It didn't sound like 'nothing big'. You sure you're okay?" Mimi yawned and flexed her leg, because she couldn't reach it due to her large stomach.

"Yeah I'm sure." Mimi yawned again. "You almost done with that mystery film of yours, Mark?" Mark shrugged.

"Sorta. I still need a few more shots, but for the most part, I'm done." Mimi nodded sleepily.

"What shots do you need?"

"It's a surprise."

"You and your damn surprises, Mark Cohen," Mimi mumbled. She wrapped her thin arms around the lumpy pillow on the couch, and soon her eyes slowly closed. When Mark saw that Mimi was asleep, he got the blanket off his bed and covered her with it before going back to work.

"Mimi, Mimi," Mark said as he gently shook Mimi's shoulder. The dancer's eyes fluttered open. Her hand immediately went to her stomach, because she had a horrible stomach cramp. "I'm going to go out and film some. I'll be back later." Mimi nodded. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. You worry too much." Mark squeezed Mimi's thin shoulder.

"It's my job to take care of you and worry about you," he said almost sadly before getting up and grabbing his camera bag. "I'll be back later." Mimi sat up and pulled the blanket around her shoulders. She watched Mark leave and rubbed her swollen belly. Mimi sat there for a while, thinking. Every once in a while she'd have a stomach cramp, but they weren't that bad. Suddenly, a sharp pain tore through Mimi's lower stomach.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:**

Gasping, Mimi grabbed her lower stomach. After a few seconds, the pain was gone. Mimi sat back on the couch and continued to rub her large stomach. Several minutes later, another sharp pain caused Mimi to cry out. This couldn't be good. Mimi got up and made her way over to the phone. With shaking hands, she picked up the phone and began to dial. Nobody picked up right away.

"Hello?" Joanne asked on the other end of the phone.

"Jo, its Mimi. Is, is Roger there?" It was clear to Joanne that something wasn't right.

"Mimi, what's wrong honey?"  
"I need Roger. I, I think-" Another sharp pain caused Mimi to drop the phone. When she put out her hand to balance herself, she put her hand on the phone cradle, disconnecting it. Mimi tried to bend over and pick up the phone, but she couldn't. She needed to call Linda, but she was stuck. When there was another sharp pain, Mimi knew she was in labor.

Somehow, Mimi found a way to sit on the floor. She clutched her stomach and leaned against the couch. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she bit her bottom lip until she drew blood. She longed to hear that loft door open and have somebody…_anybody_ come home. The contractions were becoming closer and closer, which scared Mimi. She was afraid that she'd have to deliver this baby on her own.

Mimi wasn't sure how long she was huddled on the floor, but after what seemed like an eternity, the door slid open.

"Mimi?" Roger called out. Mimi looked up from where she was. "God Meems, what's wrong?" Roger asked as she crouched down next to Mimi. The dancer grimaced and buried her face in her husband's chest.

"That baby; I'm in labor," she said as she clutched Roger's shirt. Right away, Joanne and Roger jumped into action. "Can you walk?" Roger asked. Mimi nodded, but her knees gave out the second she stood up. Roger held her upright, and Joanne went to help. Both managed to pick Mimi up and began to make their way to Roger and Mimi's bedroom.

"Wait, what should I do?" Maureen called after them.

"Call Linda, her card's next to the phone," Roger replied. Maureen pouted as she went over to the phone. She wanted to do more to help Mimi!

Very carefully, Roger and Joanne laid Mimi down on the bed. The dancer squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed Roger's hand. When the contraction was over, Mimi fell back against the pillows behind her.

"When will Linda be here?" she asked quietly. Roger stroked Mimi's cheek softly.

"Soon honey, soon," he replied. "Maureen's calling her. Right now, I want you to relax." Mimi nodded. When Joanne tried to leave, Mimi grabbed her hand.

"Please don't leave," she begged. Joanne sat back down on the bed.

Every time Mimi had a contraction, Joanne would time how far apart they were. Linda arrived twenty minutes after Maureen called her. Both Roger and Mimi were relived to see the midwife.

"Okay Mimi, how long have you been in labor?" Linda asked as she set down her bag.

"I don't know." Linda sighed. To Joanne it looked like she was slightly upset that Mimi didn't know.

"How far apart are the contractions?"  
"A minute, give or take," Joanne replied after glancing at her watch.

"I need towels to keep the mess to a minimum." Joanne volunteered to get the towels and left the room.

Mimi grabbed Roger's hand and squeezed with all her might. Tears of pain streamed down her cheeks as she rolled on her side towards Roger.

"It hurts Roger; it hurts so much," she sobbed. Roger rubbed Mimi's back. He couldn't stand to see the love of his life in so much pain.

"It's okay, you'll be fine honey," he said. Joanne returned with the towels and handed them to Linda. Linda got herself set up and sat in a chair at the end of the bed. Another contraction caused Mimi to cry out in pain.

"I need you to start pushing, Mimi," Linda said firmly. Mimi nodded and began to push with all her strength. After Linda counted to ten, Mimi fell back against the pillows.

Mark returned an hour later with Collins to find Maureen pacing back and forth across the loft.

"What's going on?" Collins asked.

"Mimi's in labor," Maureen replied without stopping or missing a beat.

"She's in labor? Why didn't you call us?"

"I didn't know where you guys were, and I was a little busy helping out!" Maureen snapped. Collins sat on the couch.

"Okay, sorry Mo. How long has she been in labor?" Maureen stopped to think.

"About an hour and a half, but we found her in labor. She called our place looking for Roger, but the phone got disconnected. We had to wait for Roger to show up before we could come here." The trio heard Mimi start screaming. Sighing, Mark shook his head.

"What's wrong boy?" Collins asked the filmmaker.

"Nothing's wrong," Mark lied. Maureen leaned over and put her hand on Mark's knee.

"Come on Marky, you've always been a _horrible_ liar," she said. "Please tell us what's wrong." Mark stood up abruptly.

"I said that nothing's wrong Maureen, so drop it!" Maureen sat on the couch; jaw dropped and watched Mark retreat to the fire escape.

Mimi was in labor well into the night. Maureen had curled up on the couch with her head in Collins' lap. Mark finally came in from the fire escape, but refused to talk about why he was upset. The filmmaker dozed off in a chair with his chin resting on his chest. Collins couldn't figure out how they could sleep through Mimi's screams.

Meanwhile, Mimi was lying in bed, sobbing. She literally had no energy left after being in labor for so long.

"One more push, Mimi," Linda told the dancer. Mimi shook her head.

"I can't; I, I can't!" she sobbed. Joanne wiped some sweat off Mimi's forehead.

"Yes you can, I can see the head. One more push and you're done." Mimi grabbed Roger's hand and began to push. "Good job, Mimi, almost there. You're doing great honey. And…there we go!" The sound of a baby crying filled the room. Relieved that it was over, Mimi fell back and closed her eyes. "It's a girl!" When Roger leaned over to give Mimi a kiss, he noticed that her breathing was very labored.

"You okay babe?" he asked. He knew that the labor had been hard on her. Mimi opened her eyes and nodded.

"Yeah," she replied weakly. "Where's my baby? I want to hold her." Mimi tried to sit up, but she didn't have the strength.

"Lie down Meems, you're really weak," Roger said firmly. Shaking her head, Mimi kept trying to sit up.

"No, I want my baby." Roger gently pushed Mimi down on the bed with a little force. Surprisingly, Mimi didn't fight back. Linda cleaned off the baby and handed her over to Roger. Joanne got up off the bed and left the room. "I want my baby."

"I need you to rest, Mimi," Linda said. "You're really weak, and you need to rest. Before I leave though, I need to know the name of the baby."

As soon as Joanne entered the front room, Mark's eyes flew open, and Collins shook Maureen awake. Joanne sat down by Mimi's feet.

"How is she?" Collins asked.

"She just had a girl, but she's _really_ worn out." Joanne glanced at the bedroom door. "I'm pretty worried about her." Maureen got up and curled up on Joanne's lap.

"She's strong, she'll pull through," Collins said. Joanne wrapped her arms around Maureen and kissed the diva's cheek.

When the bedroom door opened, everyone looked up. Linda left with a brief and stressed nod. Roger followed her out to the front room, holding his baby. Maureen got up and bounced over to the rocker.

"Let me see, let me see," she chirped as she peered at the baby. She had fair skin and Roger's dirty blonde hair. Her eyes, however, were undoubtedly Mimi's. "She's absolutely adorable Roger, but unfortunately for her, she looks just like you." Roger shot Maureen a dirty look, but the diva was too busy cooing over the infant. Collins got up and gave Roger a hug.

"What's her name?" asked the anarchist.

"Angela Cameron Davis; in memory of Angel," Roger replied. Collins was somewhat surprised by the rocker's response.

"How's Mimi doing?" Mark asked as he picked up his camera and began to film. Roger sighed.

"She's asleep. She has no energy left. She only held Angela for about a minute." Joanne put a comforting hand on Roger's arm.

"She'll be fine, don't worry," she said as she gently stroked Angela's cheek. The baby cooed and looked at everyone with her large eyes.

Joanne and Maureen only stayed for a little while after Angela was born. The Boho boys then retreated to their respective rooms for the night. Roger gently laid Angela down in her basinet at the foot of the bed and watched her sleep for several minutes. Before going to bed himself, he kissed his daughter's soft, flawless skin. Roger sighed as he climbed into bed next to Mimi. His daughter, that's all he could think about as he fell asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17:**

In the few days following Angela's birth, Mimi barely had the strength to sit up and nurse the infant when needed. Roger would hardly leave the dancer's side, even though she was mostly sleeping. One afternoon, Roger sat next to the bed, brushing a strand of hair out of Mimi's face. Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled weakly.

"Morning," she said quietly.

"More like evening; it's five thirty at night." Roger paused. "How are you feeling?" Mimi struggled to sit up and finally did.

"Tired, but otherwise fine. Where's Angela?"

"In her bassinette. She just woke up, and I have to give her a bottle."

"Give her to me. I want to hold her; I'll feed her." Roger got up and handed Angela over to Mimi. The dancer adjusted her shirt and began to nurse Angela. "She's perfect Roger." Roger leaned over and kissed Mimi's temple.

"She is, isn't she?" Mimi watched Angela for several more seconds. "She has lungs like her Mother though." Mimi smiled.

"Are you sure that they're not like her Father's?" she asked. Roger rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure." Mimi shifted slightly so she was leaning against Roger who was sitting on the edge of the bed. Roger wrapped his arms around her thin shoulders, and the family sat on the bed together.

A week after Angela's birth, Mimi was almost back to normal. She would still tire easily, but other than that, she was her same old self. One day, there was an interesting call made to the loft.

"Is this Mr. Roger Davis?" a young female voice asked when Roger answered the phone (for once).

"Yeah, who's this?" Roger questioned with a slight edge in his voice.

"This is Carmela Watson from the _Medical Journal Magazine_. I was wondering if I could ask you and your wife a few questions about you both surviving AIDS and the birth of your daughter."

"How did you get out number?" Roger demanded. Carmela didn't answer right away. "Where!?"

"I'm not allowed to tell you."

"I don't give a damn, tell me." Carmela sighed.

"Linda Williams." Roger swore loudly and slammed down the phone.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Mimi asked from where she was sitting on the couch. Roger ran his fingers through his hair and leaned against the table.

"That fucking son of a bitch Linda went and told some magazine about us and Angela." Mimi stood up abruptly and yet careful so she didn't jostle Angela who had finally fallen asleep.

"She what!? Is that even legal?" roger shrugged.

"Probably not, but I'm going to call Joanne to check. What time is it?' Mimi looked at her watch.

"Three thirty, why?"

"Damn, Joanne's still at work." Roger ran his fingers through his hair again. "I guess I'll have to call her later." Mimi gently laid Angela down in her baby carrier.

"I really liked Linda, I can't believe she'd do something like this."

"Like what?" Collins asked as he came inside from smoking a joint. Mimi had insisted that all smoking had to be done outside from now on.

"Linda sold out story to some magazine without our permission," Roger replied acidly.

"Wait, Linda as in your midwife?"

"Yeah her," Mimi said. Collins shook his head as he went to get a beer fro the refrigerator.

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"We're going to talk to Jo before we do anything at all," Roger replied. Mimi sat back down on the couch and tucked her legs under her.

after dinner, Roger called Joanne to see what could be done about Linda. The lawyer was equally as surprised as everyone else about Linda's actions.

"Since it's your story, and it's about your daughter who is clearly a minor and couldn't sell your story; you can sue Linda for al the money she got and then some," explained Joanne. Roger was shocked by this.

"Really? Wow, is there anything you can do to help us out?"

"I'll draw up the papers and contact Linda. You guys have to tell me how much you're going to sue for before I can contact her."

"I'll talk to Mimi and call you back."

"Okay. How's Angela doing?" roger looked over at Mimi. She had a blanket draped over her shoulder, and she was busy feeding their daughter…again.

"She's good; Mimi's feeding her right now. She has this huge appetite." Joanne chuckled.

"Good. I've got to go finish making dinner before Maureen tries to and burns us to a crisp, but I'll talk to you later on tonight I guess."

"Yeah, I'll call you later. Thanks Jo."

"Anytime, bye."

"Bye."

Roger hung up the phone and looked at Mimi. The dancer had really liked Linda and was hurt by her betrayal of sorts.

"What did Joanne say?" she asked. Roger sat on the arm of the chair Mimi was sitting in and kissed the top of Mimi's head.

"We can sue Linda for the money she made off our story." Mimi looked at Roger.

"Would we really have to go that far?" she questioned.

"This woman got close to us, and then told the world about us without us knowing. Of course we'd have to do something. What else _could_ we do?" Mimi shrugged.

"I don't know," she replied before stopping to think. "But what would we do with the money?"

"Put it away so Angela can go to a half decent college." Furrowing her brow, Mimi shook her head.

"Not all of it, something doesn't seem right about that." She paused. "I know what we can do with the rest of it," she said after several seconds. Then, she told Roger of her plan.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18:**

It took Joanne a while, but everything was set up for Roger and Mimi to meet Linda in court. About a week before the court date, Linda's lawyer told Joanne and the couple that Linda wanted to meet with them and perhaps talk things out. Roger and Mimi reluctantly agreed. They left Angela home with Mark and went down to Joanne's firm to meet with Linda to hopefully work things out.

When Roger and Mimi entered the room, Joanne, Linda and Linda's lawyer were all sitting around a long table. The couple sat down next to Joanne, facing Linda and her lawyer, Bob Parson. Not once did Linda make eye contact with Roger or Mimi.

"Thanks for coming, Mr. and Mrs. Davis," Mr. Parson started. "We're here to sort things out so we don't have to go to court. Ms. Williams is willing to pay fifty thousand dollars."

"Fifty thousand dollars!? You're being sued for eighty thousand dollars. What happened to the other thirty thousand dollars?" Joanne asked.

"Mr. and Mrs. Davis have refused to pay the bill my client has sent them. She is now behind on her own bills because of them." Roger and Mimi looked at each other. They had never received a bill.

"No bill was ever received. Even if my clients had refused to pay this alleged bill, then why wasn't a collection agency notified?" Joanne shot back. Mimi silently thanked her friend for her quick thinking. Mr. Parson opened and closed his mouth several times. Linda jumped in to her own defense.

"I was so stressed out about being sued that it didn't cross my mind," she explained. Joanne shook her head.

"What happened to the seventy-five thousand dollars you got from the twenty newspapers and magazines you sold my client's story to?" Now, Linda didn't know how to reply.

"Ms. Williams' personal life is nobody's business but her own."

"What about Mr. and Mrs. Davis'!?" Joanne demanded. The only time Roger had heard her use that tone was with Maureen. "They're private lives were sold without their knowledge."

"How was I supposed to know that they wouldn't like it?" Linda cried.

"Common sense," Roger snapped. "We let you into our home and this is what you do in return?" Mimi put her hand on Roger's arm to calm him down.

"If you don't agree with eighty thousand dollars, we'll make sure that your license is revoked permanently." Linda sighed.

"Just give them the money Linda, it's the only way to keep your license," Mr. Parson told his client.

"Fine, as long as we don't have to go to court anymore," Linda said. The proper papers were filled out, and Linda and Mr. Parson left.

Roger and Mimi went up to Joanne's office to talk to the lawyer before heading home to Angela.

"Thank you _so much_ Jo," Mimi said as she gave Joanne a warm hug. After Joanne returned the hug, she leaned against her desk.

"Anytime. I _knew_ something was up with that woman. She didn't give a damn about you after you had Angela. We should have tried to shut her down," she said. Roger shook his head.

"We got the money and this is all over," he said. The couple talked to Joanne for a little while longer before heading back to the loft to relieve Mark of babysitting duty.

It took a few weeks, but Mimi and Roger finally got the money settlement from Linda. They transferred fifty thousand dollars into a savings account for Angela. While Roger was at work on afternoon, Mimi and Angela went with mark down to Life Support. Everyone was happy to see the dancer again.

"Long time no see," Steve said as he gave Mimi a hug. Mimi smiled and put Angela's baby carrier down on a chair.

"I was having horrible back problems, and Roger wouldn't let me go to the store, let alone Life Support," she explained. Everyone chuckled; typical Roger behavior.

"Well, we missed you," Pam said. Angela began to whimper, so Mimi picked her up. "She's adorable, Mimi. She looks just like Roger."

"That's what I kept saying to him. Listen, I can't stay long, but I brought you guys something." Mimi pulled a check out of her back pocket. "Now, Mark worked his ass off to get us the treatment for AIDS. We wanted to thank you guys for helping us with everything, so here's a check. Hopefully, this'll help you all get the treatment too." The members of Life Support each gave Mimi a hug. They knew that money was tight for Roger and Mimi and were all thrilled about the wonderful gift from them.

Mimi stayed at Life Support until Angela started to get really fussy. Then, she and Angela left, and Mark stayed for the rest of the meeting. Mimi was happy with her and Roger's decision to donate some of the money to their friends at Life Support. She knew that Angel would be proud.

When Mimi got back to the loft several days later, she found a duffle bag sitting on the couch. Confused, the dancer put Angela's carrier on the floor and began to look around.

"Hey Mark, you home?" she called. Mark came out of his room with his jacket on and his camera bag and scarf in hand.

"What's up Mimi?" he asked.

"I should be asking you that. You goin' someplace?" Mark looked at the duffel bag on the couch and scratched the back of his neck.

"Uh, yeah, about that. I think I'm going to go visit Cindy for a week or so."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19:**

Mimi was surprised by Mark's response. It wasn't like him to just pack and leave on vacation, especially to see his family.

"What's with this sudden decision to go visit our sister?" Mimi asked. Mark shrugged and brushed past her. "Come on Mark, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Mark picked up his duffel bag. "I'll be back in a week or so. My bus leaves in half an hour." Mark gave Mimi a hug and bent down and gave Angela a kiss. Mimi watched as Mark left. Something was definitely wrong with him.

when Roger and Collins got home from work, they found Mimi and Angela both asleep in their bedroom. The two Boho boys went out to the front room to talk.

"Where do you think Mark is?" Roger asked. Collins shrugged.

"His camera and jacket are gone, so probably out filming or something." The bedroom door opened and out emerged Mimi. "Hey Meems." Mimi smiled as she curled up next to Roger on the couch.

"How'd you sleep?" the rocker asked his wife.

"Okay. Angela's still sleeping, so I left her where she is." Mimi snuggled closer against Roger.

"Do you know when Mark will be back from filming?" asked Collins. Mimi bit her bottom lip. she knew that Roger would be pissed at Mark for leaving.

"Mark's not out filming. He went to go visit Cindy for a week or so," Mimi said quietly.

"He what!? Going to go see his family I'm cool with, but I don't get why he didn't tell us. Did he say why he was going?" Mimi shook her head.

"He wouldn't say. He just said that he was fine when I kept asking and told me that he'd be back in a week or so." Roger ran his fingers through his hair. "Calm down honey." Mimi rubbed Roger's thigh.

"This just doesn't seem like Mark," Collins said as he shook his head.

"I think that he just needed a break or something," Mimi said.

"A break from what?" Roger snapped. Mimi stared at her lap; she didn't know the answer to her husband's question.

Five days later, Mimi, Roger and Collins were all sitting around the loft doing nothing when the door slid open, and in walked Mark.

"Mark you son of a bitch, where the hell did you go?" Collins asked as he got up and gave the filmmaker a huge bear hug. Mark put his bags down and returned the hug.

"I went to visit Cindy for a few days, but my Mom was bugging the shit out of me, so I came home early," he replied. Then, he picked up his bag and retreated to his room. The entire time, he could feel Roger's eyes staring at his back.

Sighing, Mimi got up and followed Mark. She wanted to find out why he left. Mark was busy unpacking when Mimi went and sat in the middle of his lumpy bed.

"Why'd you go, Mark?" she asked rather bluntly. Mark turned around and leaned against his dresser.

"You don't waste any time beating around the bush do you Meems?" he asked with a small chuckle. Mimi shook her head.

"No, I want to know why you left, and why waste time buttering you up when I'll get the answer out of you no matter what?"

"You seem rather sure of yourself don't you?"  
"I want to know why you tried to leave without saying goodbye, even if it only was for a week."  
"It's complicated," Mark said firmly.

"So is the story of my life! Please talk to me, I, we were worried about you." Mark sighed.

"You're just as stubborn as Roger aren't you?" Mimi flashed Mark an evil grin.

"Even worse, you'll find."

"Alright, I'll tell you. Ever since I met Collins, I would make sure that he had his AZT and everything. Then I had to help Roger get clean and get past April. When you came along, it was practically second nature to me to take care of you all. Now, you three don't have AIDS anymore, and I almost feel like I'm out of a job. I needed a break and needed to sort out my thoughts." Mimi got up and gave Mark a hug. She was on the verge of tears.

"You'll never be out of a job. We'll always need you to do something, but you won't have to bust our asses about AZT." Mark returned the hug.

"Thanks for listening."

"Anytime, but you should have told me _before_ you left." Mark blushed as he began to unpack. The Boho boys were trying to get used to Mimi's new maternal instincts.

**A/N: **Next chapter is the last!!!

Tina101


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20:**

Mimi finished changing Angela's diaper and washed her hands. The only sound was Angela giggling and cooing. Mark was close to finishing his film and had locked himself in his room in order to finish it. Both Roger and Collins were at work, so Mimi was basically home alone with Angela. When someone began to knock on the door, Mimi picked up Angela and answered it.

"Hey Benny," she said when she saw who it was.

"Hey yourself," Benny replied. "I'm here for the rent." Mimi stepped aside, allowing her old friend in.

"One second." The dancer balanced Angela in one arm and began to dig around the kitchen for the checkbook.

"So, this is your baby?" asked Benny. Mimi nodded as she pulled out her checkbook.

"Yeah, Angela Cameron Davis." Mimi filled out the check and handed it to Benny. "There you go." Benny pocketed the check and looked at Angela.

"She's adorable, but looks like Davis." Benny's cell phone began to ring. The African American groaned. "I'll see you later." Benny smiled and left. Mimi couldn't figure out why that conversation had been awkward. Maybe their friendship had become too complicated or something.

Mimi put Angela down for her nap and then curled up the couch for some rest. Soon, she too was fast asleep. She didn't hear Mark come out of his room, cover her up with a blanket and set up his projector. When Roger and Collins got home from work, the rocker decided to wake his wife even though he knew that she needed the sleep. Angela was only three and a half months old and didn't really know the concept of sleeping in. Mimi smiled when she saw Roger.

"Morning babe," she said as she sat up. Roger sat where Mimi's head had been and pulled the dancer onto his lap. Mimi nuzzled his neck and closed her eyes.

"Yo lovebirds, what kind of pizza do you want?" Collins asked from the kitchen. He had a pizza place's menu out and was looking through it.

"Pepperoni," Mimi replied. Collins picked up the phone and began to dial.

"Mark finally finished that damn secret movie of his, so the girls are coming over to see it," Roger said to Mimi. Mimi nodded. She was about to doze off when Angela began to cry. Groaning, the dancer got up to take care of her daughter.

By the time Maureen and Joanne arrived at the loft, the pizza had already arrived. Maureen immediately bounced over to Mimi and Angela and began to coo over the infant. Joanne grabbed her and Maureen some pizza and beers and sat down on the couch next to Mark.

"So, you _finally_ finished you film," the lawyer said to her friend. Blushing, Mark nodded.

"Yeah, I did a final viewing and it's done." Joanne could tell that Mark was trying to be humble, but was _very_ proud of his latest movie.

Once everyone was done eating, Mark decided to show everyone his film. He turned off the light and turned on his projector. _The Cure_ flashed across the sheet that served as a screen. Various images from the past year and a half flashed across the screen. Roger and Mimi asleep together after a treatment session, the trio getting their results, Maureen thanking Mark at the Life, Collins taking his last AZT, Mimi and Roger after they found out about Angela, Collins smoking a joint out on the fire escape, Maureen and Roger talking after Roger found out about Angela, Mimi giving the members at Life Support the money, and finally Joanne holding Angela.

The Bohemians all clapped when the screen went blank. Mark turned several shades of red. Mimi got up and hugged the filmmaker.

"That was amazing Mark," she said. It was clear that she was about to cry.

"Are you glad you waited?" Mark asked. Biting her bottom lip, Mimi settled back down on the floor between Roger's legs.

"Yeah, I guess so." Mark was thrilled with his friends' responses to his latest film. He had created another masterpiece. Joanne and Maureen stayed until well after midnight talking and celebrating "the cure."

Mimi gently laid Angela down in her basinet and curled up in bed next to Roger. She rested her head on his bare chest and he wrapped his arms around her. both fell asleep in an instant. An hour later, Angela began to whimper. Before she could wake her parents, a shadowy figure appeared above her basinet and stroked her chubby cheek. Right away, Angela stopped and began to giggle happily.

"It's okay chica," the figure said. Angela continued to giggle and coo.

Mimi sat up and asked sleepily, "What are you giggling about baby girl?" the figure blew away with a gust of cold air.

"Ella es muy bonita," _She's very pretty._ Angel said as she left.

**The End**

**A/N:** Thought someone was going to take Angela or something…didn't you? I'm going to do a sequel, but I need more ideas. It'll be called _The Truth_, and if you have any ideas, let me know! I have a HUGE idea, and it'll cause the TOTAL revision of this story...at a later date of course. You'll have to wait and see what I mean. It's weird, this story has been a HUGE part of my life (like I have any other life). Also, this story is dedicated to two people. First, Thropp First Descending for letting me use the part with Angel (she uses it in her story, so CHECK IT OUT!!). Also, GoldenZippy for giving me the idea about Mark leaving. Thanks to you both!! Much love!!

Tina101


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